Ghosts of barony

The last Murray to live in the house was Alexander Fox Murray, who sold it as a hotel in 1927. It is believed to be his apparition who appears in the Tweeddale room, as if sitting in a rocking chair and staring at the fireplace, which was bricked up in the late eighties. He ignores any witnesses and slowly fades away, accompanied by the smell of cigar smoke and brandy. Many people have seen his ghost and he is now known affectionately as 'Auld Reekie'.

Another ghost seen on a regular basis is known, as many ghosts often are, as 'Mary'. She frequents the third floor, especially room 302, and seems to take a keen interest in what the modern housekeepers are doing, as well as occasionally startling guests in the middle of the night by sitting on, or standing at the bottom of their beds. It is possible that she is Mary Maxwell, a housekeeper at Barony for Elizabeth Murray during the eighteenth century.

There have been many apparitions witnessed in recent times in Barony Castle. In November of last year, a guest who was studying in the Elibank suite looked up to see a young girl in a blue dress running along one side of the room.

In 2001, an apparition was seen outside room 124, described by the witness as 'a lady with beehive hair, a long royal blue dress and no face'. Then, last year, a guest returning to her room saw a lady approaching her down the corridor. As she looked, the lady vanished right in front of her eyes. This also occurred just outside room 124.
another member of staff in the same year was having a smoke outside in the early hours when he noticed a bright light coming from the Gazebo. This was immediately followed by a blood curdling scream. The member of staff in question promptly handed in his notice and left! Then, in 2003, a house keeper also heard screams coming from the Gazebo while she was cleaning a room nearby. Finally, in 2006 a guest was woken by a scream outside her window, and was worried that someone had fallen from the floor above. The area was checked to no avail, but upon returning to bed the guest heard it for a second time, leaving her understandably shaken.